Panera Standoff Probe Continues; Police Procedures Could Change

PRINCETON, NJ — The State Senate approved legislation that would put the Attorney General's Office in charge of investigations into police-involved shootings less than a week after a five-hour standoff at Princeton Panera Bread resulted in a Lawrenceville man being killed.

Legislation proposed by State Sen. President Steve Sweeney (D-3) that would put the Attorney General’s Office in charge of fatal police-involved shootings was passed by the State Senate this week. The legislation also requires that the trial be held in a county other than the one in which the incident took place.

The vote was 25-11, and came less than a week after 56-year-old Scott Mielentz was killed by police fire following a five-hour standoff at Panera Bread on Nassau Street near Princeton University. On Wednesday, the Attorney General's Office confirmed that its investigation is continuing, but there was no new information that would be released.

Following the shooting, the Attorney General’s Office noted that it establishes strict procedures for conducting investigations into the use of deadly force by police. The office is required to review all investigations, and in some instances, conduct them.

The office's directive on police-involved shootings "provides that, unless the undisputed facts indicate that the use of force was justified under the law, the circumstances of the incident must ultimately be presented to a grand jury, composed of 23 civilians, for its independent review," the Attorney General's Office said.

The legislation passed by the Senate this week would give the Attorney General’s Office authority ahead of the county prosecutor, which currently conducts many of the investigations into police-involved shootings. The Attorney General’s Office would present the findings in the investigation to a grand jury for possible indictment, in a county other than the one in which the incident took place.

“It is important that the deadly encounters resulting from official police actions are investigated thoroughly and fairly and that the public trusts the findings,” Sweeney said. “Independent investigations that are not associated with the county in which the death occurred will have more trust and credibility and will help remove any conflict of interest.”

The Senate bill is co-sponsored by Shirley Turner (D-15). To read the full proposal, click here. Its partner bill in the Assembly, sponsored by Britnee Timberlake (D-34) was introduced on Feb. 8 and referred to committee.

The Attorney General’s Office has been handling the investigation into the shooting at Panera Bread, but has not released any information since it identified Mielentz as the victim on March 21, the day after the shooting. The Attorney General's Office also hasn't released any additional information on what may have sparked the incident in the first place.

Panera Bread is closed for remodeling, according to the Princeton Packet. It has been cleared to reopen following a health inspection by the municipal health department.

Mielentz, a father of two who suffered from hallucinations, anxiety and depression, initially entered the restaurant at about 10 a.m. on March 20. Customers and employees were able to flee the building, and police secured the perimeter of the restaurant, according to the Attorney General's Office.

During the next five hours, police negotiated with Mielentz in an attempt to get him to surrender peacefully. Those attempts were unsuccessful, and the standoff ended when he was fatally shot by police at about 3 p.m., the Attorney General's Office said. Mielentz was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured in the incident.

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